The present invention relates in certain of its aspects to medical devices and methods, for example involving medical graft materials that can be modified by the addition of cells or other substances, and to related kits and methods of use and preparation.
Medical grafts and implants have demonstrated significant promise to improve medical treatments for patients across a broad variety of conditions or injuries. One area of study has been that of implantable graft materials that contain additives such as bioactive substances or viable cells from the patient or from other sources. With regard to the harvest and re-introduction of cells or other biologic substances from the patient, termed autologous treatments, methods and systems are known for treating tissue samples from the patient to result in a cellular and/or other biological preparation that can be re-introduced to the patient. In related areas, cells or biologic substances obtained from donors other than the patient, sometimes embodied in stable cell lines or purified extracts, have also been known or proposed for introduction into the patient by themselves or with other implant materials.
In certain modes of use, cells or other substances to be introduced into the patient can be combined with a graft material to form an implantable graft. In respect of cellular grafts, sometimes these involve a culture period in which the number of cells is expanded after application to the graft material. Other modes of using cells do not involve such expansion. Rather, the cells are applied to the graft and implanted without a culture period.
Despite demonstrated promise, the clinical implementation of graft materials has been slow in many areas. Needs exists for more convenient and/or effective ways or materials for combining cells or other modifying substances with graft materials. In certain of its aspects, the present invention is addressed to these needs.